The NBA DFS HitList presented by The DFS Hitman

It’s time for the NBA HitList presented by The Daily Fantasy Sports Hitman.

Are you ready?

It’s a 9-game slate tonight starting off with PHI @ CHA and finishing off with OKC @ PHO. We have some big time players with Questionable tags tonight so keep an eye on their status prior to tip-off. I am talking about Joel Embiid (Hand), Aaron Gordon (Ankle), Victor Oladipo (Knee) & Russell Westbrook (Leg).

Wow. We got a ton of injuries going on right now and this means one thing: VALUE.

Paul George is a perfect example of how an injury can improve a player’s value. Since Westbrook has gone down Paul George has averaged 50.2 Fpts per game (5 games). Compare this to his average with Westbrook in the lineup which was 45.14 Fpts per game (7 games). If Westbrook is unable to play again today I think George is a must start as he is still under $10,000 on DraftKings.

Another guy I love tonight is J’Rue Holiday because of the injury to Elfrid Payton. When Payton is out Holiday gets to run the PG spot and have the ball in his hands which means more assists and more touches. And he has shown this with double-digit assists in his last 3 games.

And then we have Lonzo Ball who will be the beneficiary of a lot more minutes thanks to Rajon Rondo’s injury. Ball saw 32 minutes which was his highest total in his last 6 games. Since Rondo was their only other true PG, I expect to see Ball playing upwards of 35+ minutes since he has shown that he is now 100% healthy.

Basically what you can start to see from this pattern is that every injury also creates an opportunity for someone to take a larger workload and thus more value for their price.

Above I listed a few of the staples I want to include in all of my lineups. Essentially, the first members of the DFS HitList.

Now let me explain this lineup a little more just to give you all a feel. And of course if you feel like I am completely wrong about any picks feel free to let me know on Twitter @DailyHitman. I am more than happy to defend my picks!

Well you already know the story for Ball, Holiday, and George. But remember that George and Schroder depend 100% on Westbrook being ruled out tonight. If he plays then they go to shit, well George doesn’t but Schroder will.

Anyways, lets start off with Pascal Siakam. Kawhi Leonard is going to be OUT which means Pascal Siakam will likely receive a slight bump in usage and may be asked to score more than usual. I love Siakam’s game as he is averaging 6.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.6 BPG, and 1.2 SPG all while scoring 14.3 PPG on 63.3% shooting.

Next up is Myles Turner who is quietly averaging 2.5 blocks per game for the Pacers along with 11 PPG and 4.9 RPG. He stepped up last night vs the Heat and produced his 2nd best game of the year with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. I really like him if Victor Oladipo ends up not going because he will be forced to pick up some of the offensive slack.

Then we have James Ennis III who is basically the reason the Rockets decided to get rid of Carmelo Anthony. Ennis has been starting all year but never was given the playing time or the confidence from his coaches to excel. With Carmelo gone, the story has changed. Ennis has played 30+ minutes in back-to-back games for the Rockets and averaged 29.4 Fpts per game during the same span. I absolutely love his price on DK for the potential he has tonight vs Sacramento.

Well how about Tyreke Evans?He is essentially the same story as Myles Turner where his value relies heavily on Victor Oladipo being ruled OUT tonight. Evans stepped up for his best game of the year by far last night vs the Heat. 23 points and 10 rebounds in only 25 minutes is an insane performance from Evans who is the play-maker for the second unit. Look for him to again look to carry Indiana offensively if Victor Oladipo ends up being hampered by his knee injury.

Finally, give me Dennis Schroder in my lineup. Schroder is an excellent point guard who can dish out assists just as good as he can score it. I mean just look at his last two games where he has averaged 17.5 PPG as well as 10.5 APG. See what I mean? You know the dude is legit because he used to have that Blonde Streak in his hair just like Wiz had. LOL I’m playing around but he really did, and I think Clint Capela still does for some reason. Oh yea, Schroder is also averaging 2.5 SPG over his last two as well. I love his matchup tonight vs. Isaiah Canaan (PHO).